CONTRIBUTION OF RAILWAYS TO THE UNITY OF THE COUNTRY A nation’s progress depends to a large extent in the national unity. In the national unity of India, Indian Railways play an impor­tant role. Indian Railways, the biggest public sector undertaking in the country and the biggest public utility concern shapes to a great extent the economic destiny of the nation. Railways came to India when the first 21-mile track was opened between Bombay and Thane on April 16th of 1853, when 3 steam engines hauling 20 coaches and 400 people clanked out of Bombay station. On an average, Railways have recorded a growth rate of about 4.3% in freight traffic and 3.7% in passenger traffic per annum, thus linking even die remotest and inaccessible parts of this vast and diverse country. They have rightly been described as the arteries of the nation and a symbol of national unity. As the largest public sec­tor undertaking in the country and the biggest employer of man­power, the contribution of Indian Railways to the national economy and unity can’t be underestimated. Today with a nationwide net work of more than 62,367Kms, Indian Railways have grown into Asia’s largest and world’s second largest railway system under a single management. At present,... read more